• Title: Ḥadís Ƹrandes (Arandes’ Monologue)

• Author: Yúsef Nnƹayme

• Year of publication: 1936

• Genre: Comic novelette

Trivia

• Ḥadís Ƹrandes is the first book in Lebanese to be published commercially.

• Yúsef Nnƹayme is born in Raskifa, Zgharta, in 1907, and died in 1974.

Commented summary [in Lebanese]

B hal ktéb, Jeddo Ƹrandes biḳabberna mġámráto awwal marra, w ƹal arjaḥ éḳer marra, nezel men l jabal la l madíne, b “ha ččiṭán yalle biɂulúlo Ṭṭanṭanbíl”, yaƹne l oṭombíl aw ssiyára eza ma ḥzerto. Ƹa ṭaríɂto w ṭaríɂet ḥażżo, Jeddo Ƹrandes raḥ yčúf w yektečef ečya ma b ḥayéto čéyef metla, la sémeƹ fiya w la ḳayélo áṭeƹ men ḥadda: telephone, grammophone, cinema, l mṭáƹem l ġélyín w lle ma bičabbƹo, l mestačfa (halle ƹemro tmenín sene w ma b ḥayéto čéyef docteur) w ġayrun ktír ḳbár.

Yúsef, aw Ƹrandes, beḳabberna l oṣṣa b ƹafawiyye w b fared saḥbe. Ma fiya wala laḥża betḍajjer: menfút b čaḳṣiyet Ƹrandes men awwal ṣafḥa w ma bifalletna wla laḥża. W kawno l ktéb bel lebnéne, menṣír neḥlam enno Ƹrandes jeddna, aw jedd jeddna, w menṣír nḥess enno ƹam nesmaƹ l oṣṣa b dínayna w b ṣawt jeddna, ma ka anno ƹam neɂráya.

Wel oṣṣa meč bas teknolójia, Jeddo Ƹrandes raḥ yektečef kamén l kezeb, ṭṭonsíb wel wejj nnéčef. W ma ḥada yfakker ḥélo azka aw aḥsan men Ƹrandes, la anno “Eben ḍḍayƹa Ƹrandes b Bayrút, w eben Bayrút Ƹrandes b Berís”… w hallaɂ, b ƹezz l mawje l jḍíde men l hejra llebnéniyye, ču besmaƹ Ƹrandsiyét men refɂéte, men ḍaráyeb la mƹémlét byeḳdo daher w biɂeṣṣo ḍḍaher, la rraked l ma byoḳlaṣ, l “ma ḥada bi čeɂɂ ƹa ḥada”, ččeɂaɂ ddayɂa, l manɂúče l ḥaɂɂa ƹačer marrat aktar men b Lebnén, ččete b ṣṣaif, ttopless beaches, ssex abel zzawéj, l beḳel…

Ya raitna mnektob hal ḳabriyét w mnestawḥe men Ƹrandes ta nḍaḥḥek l ƹélam ƹa ḥélna, ƹlayun w ƹa ha ddene l ġaríbe bas meč add l ƹéyčín fiya.